Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place)

I love how this principle acknowledges the complexity of learning, and that to truly learn we must be kind to ourselves and open minded. The focus on the importance of learning together is what stands out to me the most here. I think this has impact in the classroom by ensuring a safe space and fostering a strong sense of community among students, and giving them the skills to find community outside of the classroom as well.

Some points I really liked from the elaborations:

  • Using humour to facilitate relationships and learning.
  • Helping learners develop the skills they need for effective self-reflection
  • Ensuring learners see relevancy in what they are learning
  • Providing multiple ways for learners to represent their learning
  • Respectfully incorporating the use of the circle for group discussion
  • Providing opportunities for learners to mentor, or be mentored by, other students.

To me, the purpose of these Principles (as a tool towards decolonization and reconciliation) are meant to portray and represent intended ways of being. They are meant to be adopted in a way, above all else, in which the actor, or person, embodies them. 

“Create change by finding like-minded people and working together.” (quote from class) This is very true, but I suppose change also comes from finding non-like minded people and working together with them too.

My piece of evidence for having learned this objective is the above notes I took in reflection to a particular principle. It shows my learning because it demonstrates an earnest attempt to better understand not just the principle, but myself in relation to the principle. The part of this that has stood out for me, and was discussed in our Indigenous Education course as well, is the importance of humour and keeping an ability to laugh through all of this work. It still requires that we are able to pay adequate respect to very serious topics as we explore decolonization and reconciliation, but to find those moments to laugh together and be light amidst all the work. The use of humour will be very present in my teaching. Laughing together can help build and strengthen relationships, and this will be a priority in my classroom.

Photo by Ivan K. Fox on Unsplash